[Closed] My New Cotic Soul

very nice, red cables work too

nice, but looks like it's been squirted with silly string

Stick some red pedals on that to go with the rest and I reckon that would be one of the nicest looking bikes around. Love the sticker on the fork too.

Yeah, the pedals are off my son's lime green Ragley!! I'm gonna order some red Nano-Techs next payday.

All the red looks a tad guff. Each to their own etc etc.

I don't like all the red stuff, makes it look messy IMO. Sorry 🙁

Lose the red cables, and you'd have a nice looking bike IMHO.

I expect opinion will be divided over the red bits, but as I already had all the red ano hubs etc I decided to take a gamble on the cables. I like it, so I suppose the gamble paid off! Don't think I'll bother with red brake hoses though!

Nice bike, cables dreadful.

What's going on with the rear mech...?

❓

Good point. The mech looks ****ed. You got it attached right?

What's going on with that rear mech?

I expect opinion will be divided over the red bits,

[img] [/img]

Yeah, the pedals are off my son's lime green Ragley!! I'm gonna order some red Nano-Techs next payday.

Sweet 🙂

Chain too short?

No, rear mech had slipped round and missed the stop on the pivot below the hanger/dropout. I noticed it just after I took the pics and it's sorted now.

First thing I thought was 'I like those cables'! Just goes to show. Welcome to the club. I'm on my second soul, and I don't think I will ever buy another hardtail, when this one dies, I'll buy another. Great bikes.

three words: Shimano Pedalling Dynamics.

I really like it cables and all mate!! Nice bike!

bigrich - Member
three words: Shimano Pedalling Dynamics.

For some reason I can't see the pics. Awwwwwwwwwwww!!

Just back from Llandegla, with a mate who rides a Ti 456. Plan was to ride the red, have lunch then go back round and ride the black bits on sussers.

First impressions of the Soul were of course on the climb up to the top. I had set out with a shock pump, meaning to tune the Rebas as I went along. Firstly the geometry. I ride with a lot of seatpost, having long legs and a short trunk, so the slackish head angle with 120s on is nicely countered by a lowish bar setup. I have low rise carbon 685s on, which I would suggest are about perfect with a 60mm stem. Even then, I was able to lift the front wheel pretty effortlessly on upslopes.

The fork was initially set at 60psi. I'm heavy at 16 stone, but like to run a really plush fork. I had it at 30% sag in the garage, but I guess the slightly more weight backwards seat position meant that was a tad too soft, and I had used all 120mm travel by the time I got to the top of the climb. I added 10psi and set off down the first short run with the berms and a couple of humps on it. I felt the fork bottom out, not too harshly, but enough to realise 70 psi was still a bit soft. I therefore added just under 10psi, and then hit that descent out on the uncovered hillside.

Wow. Just wow. That frame is just so comfortable. I hadn't really understood the term "compliant" when it came to steel frames, but I do now. It sticks to the trail in a really reassuring way, where the Cube RFR frame was skittish and harsh. The rear end, with a nice fat 2.25 Ralph on it, is so springy it feels like it's got a rear shock. With the 120s on plush but no longer bottoming out the front end feels utterly planted, even over some of the worst of the braking bumps (there are huge braking potholes gouged out out virtually every yard of 'degla I noticed :()

It steers beautifully, and squashed hard into berms it rails them perfectly.

I've never been all that confident a rider on the Cube. It felt nervous at times, and I often struggled on whoops and tabletops, with me aiming for smooth and tight rather than playful and jumpy. Not today. That Soul frame lifts easily and smoothly, with a front end that is a joy to fire over little step-ups and so on, so once I had got used to the novel feel of the bike I started looking for speed, and ever increasingly aggressive lines. I got more air today on little kickers and small jumps than ever before, finding the bike solid on landing.

Only criticism , and this is probably as much me as the bike, is that the front end lifts on steep climbs, so I'll have to aim for steady and smooth, rather than bootfuls of torque through the cranks.

Thanks for the recommendations guys, it's every bit as good as you lot said it would be.

very nice! welcome to soul ownership.

Nice right up. 80psi still seems low though? After swapping from rebas to revs I'm slowly pegging them back to the magic 120.

That's a great looking bike but I'd change the Strawberry Laces to normal black cables and please don't get red pedals.

Scamper - Member
Nice right up. 80psi still seems low though? After swapping from rebas to revs I'm slowly pegging them back to the magic 120.

I need to look into what effect altering the spring rate would have on my current setup.

deluded - Member
That's a great looking bike but I'd change the Strawberry Laces to normal black cables and please don't get red pedals.

Nice bike!

Set your sag in attack position - you won't be sitting when you're Riding (with a capital R) and actually using the fork. I disagree with the "use all your travel every ride" approach on a hardtail - set them to feel and handle right. As you push the bike harder you'll use more travel - but until you reach that point do you want the front end diving low and your head angle steepening quite so often? Try dropping your stem by a spacer - your grips are pretty high - that'll solve the climbing issues.

Very nice build, I like the red hoses! First "new" Soul I've seen in black, think it looks ace. Loved your write up, "Wow. Just wow" is just about how I sum up every ride on my Soul and Solaris. Welcome to the club.

Lovely bike and I like the red trick bits!! But then I'm the guy with the blue trick bits on his recently completed orange soul and some on here evidently don't like the splash of colour on that either!

Totally agree with your ride report - I have so far only followed the recommended pressures on my fork for my over 90Kg bodyweight.

Lovely bikes though aren't they?

Airborne

that looks great! the soul is one of those bikes that just works and works. what size frame is that? i'm still trying to decide between the classic and the mk3 and am worried that the mk3 will look 'wrong' (too chunky?) in a small frame...

it's a 17.5 Mk3. I'm just under 6'0" with long legs short trunk, so Cy recommended the medium with a long seatpost. He's dead right

Nice bike.

Your grass needs cutting though.

😉

Luminous - Member
Nice bike.

Your grass needs cutting though.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=scapegoat+hill&hl=en&ll=53.64715,-1.869392&spn=0.002223,0.006539&sll=52.8382,-2.327815&sspn=9.282891,26.784668&t=h&hnear=Scapegoat+Hill,+West+Yorkshire,+United+Kingdom&z=18

Love it! It's different and a brake from the norm we see here! Red pedals a must! 😉

Needs red tyres, fork, frame, wheels, stem and bars.

Have you had any issues with your chain catching the paint on the stays near the rings?

Not so far, at least not when it was 3x9. It's 2x9 now with a tensioner, but I haven't ridden it far in anger.

Oh, and it's now got a red stem, but gunmetal Nanotechs....